Transferring Bare Metal Restore (BMR) data to an AIR/DR site

Description

Transferring Bare Metal Restore (BMR) data to an AIR/DR site

In NetBackup version 7.1, Bare Metal Restore (BMR) configuration data is not transferred to the AIR/DR site as part of its functionality. As such, the BMR information is not synchronized to match the production server’s BMRDB content. In order to make use of BMR recovery functionality at the DR location, the client’s BMR configuration must first be registered with the local BMR database.

There are two methods available to create working BMR client configurations at the AIR site.

Method 1

If the DR site is a match for the production site in terms of client information (the DR domain is not performing additional client backups local to itself) the process is simply a matter of copying over the BMRDB files from Site A to Site B. This process requires that the source and target domains are of the same OS type (Unix/Linux OS or Windows OS are on both servers). The OS versions themselves do not need to exactly match.

1. Ensure that the DR site domain already has its BMR environment configured and running via command:
   bmrs -o query -res database -table CurrentVersion
   If not, it is simply a matter of running the BMR setup command:
   bmrsetupmaster
2. Verify that the DR site BMRDB is already at the same NBU release as the production server. The query command of step 1 above will display the initialized SCHEMA of the BMRDB. It should match the version of NBU/BMR that is installed on the Master Server.
3. On the source (production) server, make a copy of the BMRDB files using command:
   nbdb_backup -dbn BMRDB -online $Save_Path
   The four BMR specific files copied off are:
   BMRDB.db
   BMRDB.log
   BMR_DATA.db
   BMR_INDEX.db
4. On the AIR/DR Server, create a temporary location to hold the copies of the BMRDB files and copy them into this location ($source_dir).
5. Import the BMRDB files with command:
   nbdb_restore -recover $source_dir
6. Stop and start NetBackup services.
7. Verify that the BMRDB data is properly loaded by checking the NetBackup Administration Console and making sure that the client configuration information from the production server is now visible on the AIR/DR server. The information will be under the Bare Metal Restore Management Node, Hosts -> BMR Clients.

It is important to note that all BMRDB information from the production server will be set into the AIR/DR Master Server. This includes Boot Servers and Shared Resource Trees. All IP address and host name information will reflect values as set in the production environment.

If network boot is the preferred method of recovery, a properly configured Boot Server for each client OS type will need to be configured into the BMRDB and required Shared Resource Trees present. A “Prepare To Restore” action is required for all clients.

If Media Boot is used, Unix media SRT entries will be required in the BMRDB as a “Prepare To Restore” is a requirement for restoring Unix clients. If a properly created and updated Windows Media SRT is available (all NIC and MSD device drivers to be used on restoring hardware are already present), a Prepare To Restore is not a requirement prior to performing the actual restore process.

If the AIR/DR server is itself a working NBU domain, the above process will overlay the local BMR data. You can preserve the local database by using the same ‘nbdb_backup/nbdb_restore’ mechanism on the local BMRDB files. Local client configurations will not be visible once the production files are copied in.

Method 2

This  method involves manually inserting the individual BMR client configurations into the local database using a copy saved in the latest backup image (FULL or INCR).

1. Using the Backup/Archive/Restore Wizard, do an alternate client restore of the client configuration file to a location on the Master Server. The client file is named ‘bundle.dat’ and it is found at:
   • On Windows client: $Inst_path\NetBackup\BareMetal\client\data\bundle.dat
   • On UNIX/Linux client: /usr/openv/netbackup/baremetal/client/data/bundle.dat
     A command line invocation example would be:
     $INST_PATH\NetBackup\bin\bprestore -w -t [0|13] -C $CLNT_NAME [ -p policy-name] -R $RENAME_PATH $CLIENT_BUNDLE_PATH
     The “bundle.dat” file will be restored to the $RENAME_PATH location.
2. Manually import the client configuration by running command:
   • On Windows Master Server: bmrs -o import -res config -path $source_dir\bundle.dat
   • On UNIX/Linux Master Server: bmrs -o import -res config -path $source_dir/bundle.dat

Once imported, the client will be visible on the Administration Console in the “Hosts -> BMR clients” section of the Bare Metal Restore management node. This method will only insert configurations into the BMRDB and the client data will reflect the same host name and IP address information it has in the production environment. The newly added configuration will need to be modified to reflect the settings of the local DR server.

With the client visible in the local BMR database, all of the same functions performed at the production server can be performed on the AIR/DR server.

Note: All restore actions will be considered Dissimilar Systems Restores. To restore in the DR domain, an editable configuration will need to be created and modified to have local values. The following KB articles for Dissimilar System Restore (DSR) are available to assist with this activity:

• Windows: https://www.veritas.com/docs/100029326
• UNIX/Linux - https://www.veritas.com/docs/100019012

With proper scripting, multiple client configurations can be imported into the BMRDB with a single invocation.

Here is a sample batch file using UNIX commands. It assumes a text file of client names is already created to use as input, with one client name per line. It is listed here for illustrative purposes only and has not been verified for syntax or correctness. An equivalent Windows “bat” file can be generated.

#=====================================================================
#!/bin/ksh
#
# Example code-assumes Unix/Linux clients on Unix/Linux Master, syntax not verified. For Windows clients, change “-t 0” to be “ -t 13”.
#
for i in `cat /tmp/client_list`
do
echo Restoring client $i
/usr/openv/netbackup/bin/bprestore -w -t 0 -C $i -R “/tmp/$i.dat” /usr/openv/netbackup/BareMetal/client/data/bundle.dat
RC= $?
if [ $RC = 0 ] ; then
echo Importing client $i
/usr/openv/netbackup/bin/bmrs -o import -res Config -path /tmp/$i.dat
rm /tmp/$i.dat
else
echo Restore of client $i failed, rc=$RC.
fi
done